Knight: from Apprentice to the Almighty

Although he had successfully performed the Knight’s Breathing Technique once, his subsequent training didn’t become any smoother.

"Hooo..."

Roland let out a long sigh. His gaze swept over the increasingly harsh sunlight and rising temperature outside, and he shook his head gently.

’An entire morning, and I’ve only managed to perform the Breathing Technique three times... It seems practicing the Knight’s Breathing Technique is much harder than I expected. Still...’

He stood up from his chair.

Despite the rocky training process, Roland showed little sign of frustration.

He could clearly feel that every failed attempt made his grasp of the mysterious "Qi Sensitivity" more refined.

As long as he persisted, performing the Knight’s Breathing Technique would surely become more and more natural.

With this thought in mind, he pushed open the door.

He looked up to see Galvis with his hand raised, poised to knock on the door.

"Galvis?"

Roland looked at him, his brow slightly furrowed.

"What happened?"

"N-nothing..."

Galvis scratched his head, looking slightly embarrassed.

"It’s almost noon, isn’t it? My stomach’s a bit..."

Halfway through his sentence, the Minstrel noticed a subtle change about Roland, and his eyes widened.

"Roland! You... you..."

His voice was filled with astonishment.

"You successfully performed the Knight’s Breathing Technique?"

When Roland gave a slight nod, Galvis’s fingers instinctively began to strum the strings of his ever-present harp.

A melodious tune flowed out, accompanied by his clear, singing voice.

"Oh! Gods above! Praise be to Your guidance! Roland, you truly are my destined hero!"

"What?"

Faced with the Minstrel’s exaggerated performance, the corner of Roland’s eye couldn’t help but twitch.

Although he’d known Galvis for some time, he still couldn’t quite get used to his companion’s occasional flamboyant displays.

Roland paid him no mind and walked straight toward the kitchen.

He wasn’t sure if it was just his imagination, but it felt like performing the Knight’s Breathing Technique just once took a greater toll than practicing the Secret Silver Body Tempering Technique had.

He’d had a hearty breakfast that morning, but now, at high noon, an intense hunger burned in his stomach like a flame, demanding his attention.

To put it dramatically, Roland felt like he could eat a whole cow.

"Hey, Roland!"

Seeing the unruffled expression on Roland’s face, Galvis stuck to him like a stubborn poultice, trailing closely behind.

"How can you be so calm? Gods above, that’s the Knight’s Breathing Technique!"

"So what?"

Roland replied while deftly preparing the ingredients, the sharp blade making soft THUD THUD sounds on the cutting board.

Successfully performing the Breathing Technique was certainly cause for celebration, but he knew it was merely the first soft knock on the massive doors of the Extraordinary Domain.

He still had a long road ahead of him to reach his goal of becoming a true Extraordinary Knight.

Galvis studied Roland’s expression carefully. Once he was certain his friend wasn’t just feigning composure, he began to speak in a rush.

"My friend! Do you have any idea how difficult it is to perform the Knight’s Breathing Technique?"

"Even if an ordinary person is lucky enough to get their hands on it, they most likely lack the talent to successfully perform it! Even for the exceptionally talented, it often takes months of hard work just to go from Sensing Qi Sensitivity to a successful performance! But you! My hero!"

The Minstrel gesticulated wildly in his excitement, his fingers fumbling on the harp strings and producing a few abrupt, discordant notes.

"And it took you less than half a day! Gods! This is... it’s a miracle!"

Roland’s hands didn’t pause for a second. He ignored Galvis’s over-the-top praise, but his brow gradually furrowed as he recalled the process of performing the Breathing Technique.

’It was definitely difficult, but...’

’It didn’t seem nearly as hard as Galvis was making it out to be.’

’That’s not right...’

The knife fell steadily, neatly dicing the ingredients on the cutting board, but Roland’s mind kept racing.

’In the Golden Valley Kingdom, almost every scion of a noble family has trained at the Knight Academy.’

’Even after weeding out those who fail the rigorous assessments, the number is still substantial.’

’Yet, at that noble banquet in Distant Harbor, he had carefully scanned the attendees and found that not a single noble present possessed the Extraordinary aura of a Knight.’

’That clearly didn’t add up.’

’And this observation seemed to silently confirm the truth of Galvis’s words.’

’In that case...’

Roland thought to himself.

’The wounds inflicted on the Golden Valley Kingdom by the Blood Moon Rebellion must have been far more severe than I imagined.’

’No wonder... despite having the largest territory among the surrounding kingdoms, the Golden Valley Kingdom has consistently maintained a defensive posture in foreign conflicts all these years...’

Though his thoughts surged like a tide, Roland didn’t dwell on the matter for long.

After all, barring any unforeseen circumstances, he would likely never return to live in the Golden Valley Kingdom.

’So, the reason I was able to perform the Knight’s Breathing Technique so smoothly...’

Roland slowly pondered as he slid the prepared ingredients into the pot.

’...must be thanks to my basic Attributes, which far exceed a normal person’s?’

’After all, it’s rare for even the most outstanding graduates of the Knight Academy to possess extraordinary strength right after finishing their studies.’

’Besides, with my current strength, I’d be considered one of the top contenders even within the Extraordinary Domain.’

Just as Roland was analyzing his advantages, Galvis’s voice chattered on incessantly in his ear.

"At this rate, Roland, it won’t be long before you become a true Knight! A Knight under the age of thirty... tsk tsk..."

The Minstrel smacked his lips, a hint of envy and excitement inevitably showing in his eyes.

"You have to understand, of all the Extraordinary Professions I’ve encountered in my travels across the continent, Knights are the most balanced and powerful! And you, Roland..."

"Galvis..."

Roland shook his head in resignation, cutting off the Minstrel’s rambling aria.

"I appreciate the praise, but according to the ancient texts, there are countless Extraordinary Professions in this world. The Knight is likely far from the most powerful."

"Oh, of course!"

Seemingly annoyed that Roland had interrupted his song of praise, Galvis raised an eyebrow and immediately retorted.

"There are indeed Transcendents in the world more powerful than Knights, but..."

He deliberately drew out his words.

"While they gain great power, they also bear a terrible price!"

"Take the Barbarians who rely on slaughter to awaken their Blood Qi. In battle, they become nothing more than frenzied beasts. Then there are the powerful Casters—what you humans call Wizards. They often get lost in labyrinths of their own minds, ultimately setting them on a path of no return, fraught with uncertainty. And then there’s..."

Galvis swung his harp onto his back and started counting on his fingers.

"Have you ever heard of Warlocks, who rely on the power of their bloodline? I once had the good fortune—or perhaps misfortune—to see one. Tsk tsk..."

He looked as if he was recalling something unpleasant, and a rare flicker of disgust crossed his face.

"Aside from their heads being mostly intact, their bodies were so corroded and twisted by their bloodline’s power that they were barely recognizable as human. Scales, horns, mutated limbs... It was a total nightmare!"

"In comparison..."

The Minstrel spread his hands, his voice regaining its earlier fervor.

"Among the Extraordinary Professionals that still exist today, Knights have almost no side effects and are constrained only by their natural lifespan. Doesn’t that make theirs the most balanced Extraordinary Profession?"

Roland fell into a brief silence.

It wasn’t because he was amazed by Galvis’s worldliness, but because another thought had suddenly sparked in his mind.

’To become a Knight, you need to perform the Knight’s Breathing Technique. To become a Wizard, as far as I know, you need to master a Meditation Technique... So, what are the prerequisites for the other Extraordinary Professions?’

It wasn’t a matter of greed, of wanting to have it all.

Rather, he was well aware that he possessed a Professional Panel.

If the opportunity arose, he wouldn’t be opposed to exploring other Extraordinary paths.

After all, who would refuse a way to increase their strength?

’Of course...’

Roland quickly reined in his wandering thoughts. 𝕗𝕣𝐞𝐞𝘄𝐞𝚋𝚗𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗹.𝚌𝕠𝚖

’Right now, the most important thing is to focus on becoming a Knight!’

He was about to use Galvis’s topic as a jumping-off point to discuss the mysteries of other Extraordinary Professions, but a clear, familiar female voice suddenly called out from outside, brimming with unconcealable cheer.

"Roland! Roland! Where are you? I brought something great for you!"